Life on the Road: Bad for Your Health?

Whenever I leave town for business or pleasure, I always pack at least one workout outfit and a pair of running shoes. I tell myself that I should find some time to exercise while away from home. What I’ve found (over and over and over again) is that it ends up doing nothing more than taking up suitcase space.

And, then there’s the eating out. While I go out to dinner with full intentions of selecting a healthy salad, it rarely happens. It seems that when I arrive at the restaurant all I want is french fries and beer. So, I order it. After all, I am on vacation.

There’s no harm in letting your healthy practices slip every once in awhile. But what about those business travelers who are consistently on the road? Not surprisingly, a recently published survey found that a life on the road can have negative consequences to your health. The study, which analyzed data gathered from roughly 13,000 workers, found that those who traveled more than 20 nights a month were 2.61 times more likely to report they were in poor or fair health than those on the road one to six days a month. And they were 1.92 times as likely to be obese. Not to mention the well-known stresses and airborne illnesses that come hand in hand with busy airports and hit-and-miss hotels.

So, how can you avoid the negative impacts travel has on your mental and physical health? For starters, you can skip the trip altogether and meet instead with InterCall’s audio, web, and video conferencing. By meeting virtually, you can save money, improve productivity and, most importantly, stick to your regular daily routine. But, when the trip has to be made there are things you can do to curb the negative health effects. Here are a few things that work for me:

Choose hotels that have gyms – When traveling, convenience is everything. By selecting a hotel with a well-equipped gym, I’m more likely to make time for a workout.

Take a trip to the grocery store – Eating out meal after meal can be a recipe for disaster. A quick trip to the grocery store for some healthy snacks can make a huge difference in your diet.

Remember to take time to yourself – Just because you’re in another city doesn’t mean you have to be on-the-go 24/7. Take a night for yourself to rent a movie and go to bed early.